How much of an asshole has this winter been? Let me count the ways. OK, I won’t. I’m working to get over it. But I will remind you of one of the major downfalls of the snowfall—the affect it, and our hibernation, has had on small, local businesses. It’s been a rough go for a […]
Plan B Merchants Co-op
Posted inBest of Halifax
Best Antiques Store
Gold Winner Finer Things Antiques Silver Winner Urban Cottage Antiques & Collectables Bronze Winner Plan B Merchants’ Co-op It’s maybe fitting Halifax seems to like what’s tried and true when out antiquing. Finer Things Antiques and Curios once again tops the list for your Best Antique Store. In fact, the entire podium is a repeat […]
Posted inArts + Music
Fringe Binge 2014: Day 9
Broadway the 13th ★★★½ This show is a high-energy showcase that strings together a series of favourite hits from stage musicals with a slight but cute plot. Four young actors (played by Lena Andriani, Becca Guilderson, Marietta Laan and Taylor Long) venture to a cabin in the woods to write a musical, only to find […]
Posted inArts + Music
Fringe Binge 2014: Day 8
Wake Up, Rosie! ★★★★ Adorable! This original take on Red Riding Hood is sweet, fun and clever. It’s tone is just right for a young audience (maybe 8 and under), but also highly entertaining for adults. Rosie is a hilariously precocious four-year-old (perfectly played by Melanie Patten) who’d rather sleep than play outdoors. However, circumstances […]
Posted inArts + Music
Fringe Binge 2014: Day 5
Daydreams of Kaleidoscopes ★★★ After seeing this show, I left the theatre with a lot of questions. Why was the young man in the play dying? What was the relationship between his mental illness and his impending death? Why was his therapist a disembodied voice…was he real, a figment of the boy’s imagination, or a […]
Posted inArts + Music
Fringe Binge 2014: Day 2
I’d forgotten how fun, and frantic, Fringe can be. Trying to see the bulk of the shows means mad dashes across town to meet tight turn-around times as well as lengthy layovers in The Bus Stop lobby that offer a chance to discuss and digest the plays. Last night’s offerings certainly offered lots of food […]
Posted inArts + Music
Behold! Atlantic Fringe Festival’s 2014 program
Get your scrolling finger ready, the list is a doozy! Advance tickets are now available online at atlanticfringe.ca. All tickets are $10 or less. Catch a sampler show on August 28 at Neptune Studio Theatre, one minute from about every show. Whirlwind! The 24th Atlantic Fringe program is: The Adversary by Andrew Bailey. Drama • […]
Posted inBest of Halifax
Best All-ages Venue
Gold Winner The Pavilion Silver Winner Plan B Merchants’ Co-op Bronze Winner Bus Stop Theatre Admittedly, there aren’t too many dedicated all ages venues in the city to start with, but the all ages scene is nothing if not inventive. Topping the list this year (and previous years) is the Pavilion, a devoted space for […]
Posted inBest of Halifax
Best Antiques Store
Gold Winner Finer Things Antiques Silver Winner Urban Cottage Antiques and Collectibles Bronze Winner Plan B Merchants Co-op Once again, Finer Things has been selected by our readers as the place to go for antiques and other artifacts from a bygone age. Run by co-owners Jack Craft and Julianne MacDonald—Jack is the buyer and Julianne […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Strange brew from OddBottle
“I don’t want to underplay the importance of soda pop,” says Alex Hagen of OddBottle Craft Sodas. A longtime home-brewer, his biz plan was a spin-off of another idea, for beer brewery. “I don’t want it to seem like a second-love to beer. Soda has more than eclipsed brewing of beer for me.” Putting beer […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
A new home for Toxic Blossom
Caily Huntly and Stacy Lepage planted a seed three years ago, and boy has it bloomed. Their business venture Toxic Blossom began as a market stall, a crafters’ booth and a way to get their hands sweet clothing and accessories that they couldn’t find locally. Then, they put their heads together with some friends and […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Mule Mother’s book smarts
Mule Mother Books’ Ellen Murphy makes some really fantastic little hand-bound, one-of-a-kind books. They’re so charming that upon seeing them you might start wishing you too were a skilled bookbinder. Luckily, Murphy’s not the type to keep her talents to herself. Mule Mother’s DIY Book Kit provides you with the pages, covers, needle, thread and […]